# AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate: My Journey, My Perspective Recently I cleared the AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate exam. While the memory is still fresh, I would like to share my journey. [This is the notes I took during my preparation](http://aws-study.shams-nahid.com/) and the [Github Repo](https://github.com/bmshamsnahid/My-Daily-AWS-Study). ## Who am I? I am a software engineer. My primary tool is Node.js. Along with **Node.js**, In my tool-belt, I carry **React.js**, **Angular**, **Feathers JS**, **MongoDB**, **Bloickchain**, and now obviously **AWS**. I had a little experience on AWS like managing the VPS with application layer and database layer, configuring the security group, Route53, and S3. I cleared the exam on December 11, 2020, on my first attempt. ## You should know… Keep a couple of things in your mind if you plan for the certification: * A certificate is nothing but paper, the hands-on experience is the keys here. So even though in many cases it is not necessary, do the hands-on as much as possible. * In exams, sometimes AWS acts like a salesman. They are not just testing your knowledge, also try to tell you all the goodies they are providing. ## My Exam Feedback I found almost similar 10–15 questions from [wizlab](https://www.whizlabs.com/aws-solutions-architect-associate/) and [Tutorial Dojo](https://portal.tutorialsdojo.com/courses/aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-practice-exams/) practice exams. 10–15 questions were from hybrid architecture, especially focused on storage solution. Since It was my weak point, these questions are still on my mind. The exam duration was 2 hours and 10 minutes. For me, It took 1.30 hours to complete the exam. Then I went through the flagged question one more time. I took the **Person with Vue** format. *The exam-center experience was quite frustrating*. The person who handle these arrangement examinations was late 30 minutes. Computer monitor crashed in the middle of the exam and no one was there to fix it immediately. I reported these incidents after the exam. ## My Preparation I decided to prepare for this certification almost a year ago (December 2019). I considered both the **Solution Architect Associate** and **Developer Associate**. I took the slow and steady process. Look at the theory and do the hands on as much as possible. Sometimes I even got out of the syllabus and explored the services. > It took almost a year, although, with consistency, I think 4 months can cover the content for this exam. I used to take notes for almost everything I was taught during video content or practice exam. I used to write them in markdown format. Recently wrote a blog engine to make them publish like a [blog](http://aws-study.shams-nahid.com/). ## Contents I Used For The Exam I think [Stephane Maarek](https://www.udemy.com/user/stephane-maarek/) and [Tutorial Dojo](https://tutorialsdojo.com/) does a great job. My primary video content was [Ultimate AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate](https://www.udemy.com/course/aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-saa-c02/). For practice question, I brought [AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams](https://portal.tutorialsdojo.com/courses/aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-practice-exams/) and [AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate](https://www.whizlabs.com/aws-solutions-architect-associate/). Question banks from Jon Bonso are available on Udemy and [Tutorial Dojo](https://tutorialsdojo.com/). Go for the [Tutorial Dojo](https://tutorialsdojo.com/) portal. It has so many extra features for practice. Along with them I also purchase a couple of courses on Udemy, I will list them below. ### Pet Project I Did During Preparation * [B2B Market Place](http://b2b-market-place.shams-nahid.com/) (Amplify Platform, SAM, Lambda, AppSync, API Gateway, SES, S3, DynamoDB, AWS Managed Elastic Search, Route53) * [Todo App: Amplify Note Taker](http://amplify-note-taker.shams-nahid.com/) (Amplify Platform, AppSync, Cognito User Pool, DynamoDB, S3, Route53) * [Notes I taken and use AWS to host them](http://aws-study.shams-nahid.com/) (S3, EC2, Route53) * [Host a Community Application API and Admin Panel in AWS](http://bus-spotter.com) (S3, EC2, Route53) ### All The Courses I Followed [**Stephane Maarek](https://www.udemy.com/user/stephane-maarek/) video** content and [**Tutorial Dojo](https://tutorialsdojo.com/)** practice questions and some hands on practice is enough for the certification. Although I purchased and completed the following courses. * [Ultimate AWS Certified Developer Associate](https://www.udemy.com/course/aws-certified-developer-associate-dva-c01/), since I was also preparing for the developer associate * [AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate](https://www.udemy.com/course/aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate/), good for quick review. Exam tips after each section is great. * [Serverless React with AWS Amplify — The Complete Guide](https://www.udemy.com/course/serverless-react-with-aws-amplify/), as a developer can not ignore the awesome serverless platform. * [Amazon EC2 Master Class (with Auto Scaling & Load Balancer)](https://www.udemy.com/course/aws-ec2-masterclass/), during practice exam, was confused about the ASG and ALB. Almost all the contents are covered in the [main course](https://www.udemy.com/user/stephane-maarek/) I suggested. ### Cheat Sheets Found Fascinating * [AWS Cheat Sheets — Tutorials Dojo](https://tutorialsdojo.com/aws-cheat-sheets/) * [AWS Solution Architect Associate exam, my notes, and tips](https://loige.co/aws-solution-architect-associate-exam-notes-tips/) * [AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate SAA-C01 Exam Learning Path | Jayendra’s Blog](http://jayendrapatil.com/aws-solutions-architect-associate-feb-2018-exam-learning-path/) * [Certified Solutions Architect Resources](https://courses.datacumulus.com/certified-solutions-architect-pn9) * [Certification Training Notes | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate](https://digitalcloud.training/certification-training/aws-solutions-architect-associate/) * [AWS Certified Solutions Architect Slides v3.4.pdf](https://media.datacumulus.com/aws-saa/AWS%20Certified%20Solutions%20Architect%20Slides%20v3.4.pdf) ### Blogs I Found Motivational and Helpful * [How I Passed the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam on my First Try](https://medium.com/@farhandarzada/how-i-prepared-for-and-passed-the-aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-exam-on-my-first-try-304ae96aafca) * [AWS — Difference between Security Groups and Network ACLs](https://medium.com/awesome-cloud/aws-difference-between-security-groups-and-network-acls-adc632ea29ae) * [AWS VPC for Beginners — Data Driven Investor — Medium](https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/aws-vpc-for-beginners-eee01e7083d1)[Abhishek Shaha: Pass](http://www.cloudforest.in/2016/09/pass-aws-certification-exam-in-10-days.html) * [AWS Certification Exam in 10 days..!! The complete guide to pass AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate exam.](http://www.cloudforest.in/2016/09/pass-aws-certification-exam-in-10-days.html) * [AWS VPC Overview](http://www.lewisgavin.co.uk/AWS-VPC/) * [Passing the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam in 2019.](https://blog.usejournal.com/passing-the-aws-solutions-architect-associate-exam-in-2019-81fccb7caebd) * [5 Tips To Pass The AWS Solutions Architect Associate’s in 2019.](https://blog.usejournal.com/5-tips-passing-the-aws-solutions-architect-associates-in-2019-38c35ad39b0a) * [Exam Feedback: Successfully Passed the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam! — Course: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate 2019](https://acloud.guru/forums/aws-csa-2019/discussion/-LdNMYTC_HMI0bp37CJ8/exam_feedback:_successfully_pa) * [Cloud Blogs — Medium](https://medium.com/awesome-cloud) * [Passing AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam in 2019 — DEV Community 👩‍💻👨‍💻](https://dev.to/tlakomy/passing-aws-solutions-architect-associate-exam-in-2019-2mn1) * [10 Tips I Wish I Knew before my first attempt at AWS SA Professional Certification](https://medium.com/@gssumesh/10-tips-i-wish-i-knew-before-my-failed-first-attempt-at-aws-sa-professional-certification-91ef84b04621) * [AWS Certification Preparation Guide | Get Certified | A Cloud Guru](https://acloud.guru/learn/aws-certification-preparation) * [Are Cloud Certifications Worth the Sweat and Tears?](https://medium.com/better-programming/are-cloud-certifications-worth-the-sweat-and-tears-d948dbe09352) * [Confused by AWS Storage Options? S3, EBS, EFS Explained — DZone Cloud](https://dzone.com/articles/confused-by-aws-storage-options-s3-ebs-amp-efs-explained?fbclid=IwAR0RgIz0uv9MSEvfGDo7tzuy5RxMabOoiDjI5ISEiPBFWu-H4BRwkEskXwo) * [Choose an Endpoint Type to Set up an API Gateway API — Amazon API Gateway](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/api-gateway-api-endpoint-types.html) * [Certification Training Notes | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate](https://digitalcloud.training/certification-training/aws-solutions-architect-associate/) ### Git Repositories I Found Helpful * [alex067/AWS-Solutions-Architect-Associate-Study-Guide: My final notes when studying for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate’s.](https://github.com/alex067/AWS-Solutions-Architect-Associate-Study-Guide)[Cheetsheet](https://github.com/agasthik/aws-csa-2017) * [A curated list of AWS resources to prepare for the AWS Certifications](https://gist.github.com/leonardofed/bbf6459ad154ad5215d354f3825435dc) * [amazon-sqs-developer-guide/sqs-delay-queues.md at master · awsdocs/amazon-sqs-developer-guide](https://github.com/awsdocs/amazon-sqs-developer-guide/blob/master/doc_source/sqs-delay-queues.md) * [minhntm/aws-developer-associate-certificate: Note to pass the AWS Developer Associate Exam](https://github.com/minhntm/aws-developer-associate-certificate?fbclid=IwAR0DlpCD8Ipw74xL32qH9vIZ3cEOSGCBZYrPc0aDvQRpZJ2eEGg45kwBqxU) * [minhntm/aws-solutions-architect-associate-certificate: Note to pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam](https://github.com/minhntm/aws-solutions-architect-associate-certificate?fbclid=IwAR1Q6f7e3oIyCDqiPcdjBEjuW-kjheA9QrP_HkL2yUZ4DTOp6SgYO6kEtRs) ### Tools I Found (An Android App) Use it while you are in the waiting room to visit your doctor(LOL) * [AWS — Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C01 — Apps on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.magycbytes.aws) ### Docs I Found Helpful * [AWS Well-Architected — Build secure, efficient, cloud-enabled applications](https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/well-architected/) * [Amazon EBS volume types — Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ebs-volume-types.html) ### Question Banks I Found (Both Free and Premium) * [AWS_Certified_Solutions_Architect_Associate_Sample_Questions.pdf](https://d1.awsstatic.com/training-and-certification/docs/AWS_Certified_Solutions_Architect_Associate_Sample_Questions.pdf) * [AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams 2020 — Tutorials Dojo](https://portal.tutorialsdojo.com/courses/aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-practice-exams/) * [Whizlabs CSAA](https://www.whizlabs.com/learn/course/aws-csaa-practice-tests/) ### FAQ I Read (At Least Tried and Being Suggested) * [Amazon EC2 FAQs — Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/faqs/) * [Amazon VPC FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/vpc/faqs/) * [Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) — Cloud Storage — AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/faqs/) * [Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) FAQs — Amazon Web Services (AWS)](https://aws.amazon.com/sqs/faqs/) * [Amazon S3 Glacier FAQs — Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/glacier/faqs/) * [Elastic Load Balancing FAQs — Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/faqs/) * [Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/autoscaling/faqs/) * [Amazon RDS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) — Amazon Web Services (AWS)](https://aws.amazon.com/rds/faqs/) * [AWS IAM FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/iam/faqs/) * [Amazon DynamoDB Documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/index.html) * [FAQs | CDN, Zone Apex, Edge Cache | Amazon CloudFront](https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/faqs/) * [Amazon Route 53 FAQs — Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/route53/faqs/) * [Amazon EBS FAQs — Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/ebs/faqs/) * [Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) | Cloud File Storage | FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/efs/faq/) * [Amazon Kinesis Data Streams FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/kinesis/data-streams/faqs/) ### White Paper I Read(At Least Tried and Being Suggested) * [AWS-Security-Pillar.pdf](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/architecture/AWS-Security-Pillar.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card) * [AWS-Performance-Efficiency-Pillar.pdf](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/architecture/AWS-Performance-Efficiency-Pillar.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card) * [Overview of Amazon Web Services](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/aws-overview.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card) * [AWS_Well-Architected_Framework.pdf](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/architecture/AWS_Well-Architected_Framework.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card) * [AWS Reliability Pillar](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/architecture/AWS-Reliability-Pillar.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card)[AWS-Operational-Excellence-Pillar.pdf](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/architecture/AWS-Operational-Excellence-Pillar.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card) * [AWS-Cost-Optimization-Pillar.pdf](https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/architecture/AWS-Cost-Optimization-Pillar.pdf?did=wp_card&trk=wp_card) ### Reddit Post I Read (Need Some Motivation??? Check the first one.) * [How I went from $14hr to 70k with no experience: cscareerquestions](https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/bhfi88/how_i_went_from_14hr_to_70k_with_no_experience/) * [AWS CSAA Study resources + tips + links + 6/3 month study plan + Blitz study plan. : AWSCertifications](https://www.reddit.com/r/AWSCertifications/comments/e3r6kz/aws_csaa_study_resources_tips_links_63_month/) ### AWS Re:Invent I Watched (Again Tried and Being Suggested) * [Become an IAM Policy Master in 60 Minutes or Less](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQsK4MtsELU&t=1436s) * [Your Virtual Data Center: VPC Fundamentals and Connectivity Options](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAvKgqlrjY&t=1003s) * [Advanced VPC Design and New Capabilities for Amazon VPC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnxXNZdf6ew&t=1329s) * [Amazon DynamoDB Deep Dive: Advanced Design Patterns for DynamoDB](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaEPXoXVf2k) * [A Deep Dive into AWS Encryption Services](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTZgxsCTfbk) * [Elastic Load Balancing: Deep Dive and Best Practices](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIgAT7vjol8) * [Best Practices for Amazon S3 and Amazon Glacier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHeTn9pHNKo) * [Deep Dive on Amazon S3 Security and Management](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x25FSsXrBqU) I would say It was great to learn all these cloud tools. Leave a comment if there’s any query or suggestion.